At the recent Social Media and Cultural Communication Conference in Sydney thirteen speakers from Australia, Britain, the United States and Canada gave their insights into the use, value and sustainability of social media in cultural institutions. Social media such as blogs, podcasts and wikis have been increasingly present across the museum, library, archive and gallery sector. These social networking technologies have provided a platform and public face for conversations, collaborations and co-created content to be seen, accessed and distributed to a broad audience.